Shuttle Buses & Vans

While privately-owned buses and vans operate charter and airport services, transit agencies operate their own vehicles rather than handing over services to third-party agencies and use vehicles other than what is provided by the large agencies. These private operators provide extensive services for companies, tourists, and commuters, and many of these companies offer incentives for its riders, including free rides, discounted admissions, and frequent service.

Airport Buses & Shuttles

These buses and shuttles operate from all three Bay Area airports, namely San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, providing services to passengers within the Bay Area and to far-flung places as Lake, Sacramento, Monterey, and San Benito Counties.

Airport Shuttle VansThe Bay Area offers multitudes of shuttle van operators, in which these provide fast, door-to-door service. However, these may feel cramped, especially when you carry a lot of baggage.

Marin AirporterOperates between Marin County and San Francisco International Airport, with stops throughout Marin County, including Novato, San Rafael, Larkspur, Mill Valley, and Sausalito.

San Francisco International AirportSan Francisco International Airport operates an airport shuttle service that connects the airport with both short- and long-term parking lots located off the main terminals. These shuttles operate 24 hours a day, everyday.

Norman Y. Mineta - San Jose International AirportSan Jose International Airport, while bearing the international name, has limited international services, all of which heading to Mexico and Canada. The airport will host to All Nippon Airways starting in 2013 when this airport gets a nonstop service between San Jose and Tokyo-Narita Airport, operated with the Boeing 787, officially reinstating its international status with long-haul services. The shuttle services operate similarly to San Francisco International Airport's shuttles.

Sonoma County Airport ExpressOperates between Sonoma County and both San Francisco and Oakland International Airports. Note that service to and from Oakland Airport operates via San Rafael Transit Center.

Community Shuttles

These shuttles primarily serve localized areas in the region, usually for free or for a small fee.

San Francisco Minibuses and Jitneys

PresidiGoThis free service operates around the Presidio in San Francisco. Two shuttle routes operate around the park, with services to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Exploratorium, Baker Beach, Inspiration Point, and many other fine attractions within the national park, and these are always free to the public. The PresidiGo also operates a direct service between the Presidio and Downtown; note that on peak periods, only commuters with a Presidio Pass may use the service (between 6:30 and 9:00am and between 3:45 and 7:00pm); outside those times, riders with a valid Muni Pass may also use the service.

North Bay Shuttles

South Bay Shuttles

Health and Handicapped Shuttles

These shuttles provide specialized services for healthcare facilities and handicapped persons who may not be able to use transit on a full-time basis. As with the shuttles above, these services are offered for free or for a fee. By law, these services are required to provide deviated services up to 3/4-mile of a regular bus route, and these may require special IDs to use such services.

San Francisco: Specialized and Paratransit ShuttlesMultiple shuttles operate within the City of San Francisco, providing services to students, health workers, and commuters.

Jewish Family and Children's Services

Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Shuttle

Redi-Wheels, SamTrans

East Bay Paratransit

MV Transportation

California Pacific Medical Shuttle

Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Shuttle

SF ParatransitThis service is the paratransit arm of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority.

North Bay ParatransitSeveral paratransit agencies operate in the North Bay, including:

University Shuttles

Common to many universities around the country, college and university shuttles ferry students between campuses, train stations, and downtown areas. Many of these services are also available to passengers who are not students as well: ask the driver.

Academy of Art UniversityWith multiple campus locations in San Francisco, Academy of Art University connects each one of its campuses with bus and van shuttles.

San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco State University offers a frequent and free shuttle service connecting San Francisco State University's main campus and Daly City BART.

Marguerite ShuttleThis is the shuttle service provided by Stanford University. With multiple routes, these connect the various buildings of the university with nearby dormitories, Downtown Palo Alto, Palo Alto Caltrain, and San Antonio Shopping Center in nearby Mountain View.

University of California, BerkeleyUC Berkeley operates two shuttles: Bear Transit and the Berkeley Lab Shuttle. Bear Transit operates three daytime and four nighttime routes serving the campus, Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley BART, and the Laboratory Facilities in Richmond. It is free for students and $1 for visitors.

The Berkeley Lab Shuttle, on the other hand, operates routes around the campus to serve the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Berkeley Hills. Riders must have a valid pass to use such services.

Tour Buses

Multiple tour operators provide tours, not only within San Francisco, but also outlying areas from Sausalito to Santa Cruz. Many of these operators also provide tours of the Wine Country in Sonoma and Napa Counties, and these also provide tickets for discounts to San Francisco attractions.

Open Top, Non-Air Conditioned Tour Buses

Air Conditioned, Open-Top Tour Buses

Air-Conditioned Double Decker Bus

Regular Tour Buses

Tour Vans

Intercity and Casino Shuttle Buses and Vans

These buses are used to ferry workers or casino patrons between San Francisco and its suburbs, as well as the nearby casinos in the region.

All material is copyright of Anthony Nachor. Although the best efforts have been taken in checking the material, the author can not and do not warrant that the information contained on the website is complete or accurate, and does not assume and hereby disclaims liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions.